GOLF
Pranavi plays strong second round to enter top-20 in France
Indian golfer Pranavi Urs showed she is getting back into form as she carded a 3-under 68 on the second day of the Lacoste Ladies Open de France to be tied 16th in the Ladies European Tour (LET) event here.
Pranavi, with scores of 70 and 68, is four-under par over two days with one more round left at the Golf Barriere de Deauville.
Diksha Dagar too made the cut, shooting a second round of 2-under 69. She is placed T-44th with a one-under par score.
Tvesa Malik (74-72) and Avani Prashanth (73-74) missed the cut, which fell at 1-over.
Canadian teenage sensation Anna Huang, fresh from her victory last week at the La Sella Open, fired 7-under 64 to race into the lead.
Pranavi began her second day on the back nine. She bounced back well from an early bogey on the 12th hole with consecutive birdies on the par-5 16th and par-3 17th holes.
On the front nine, she birdied the second and fourth holes before dropping a shot on the seventh. She finished her round with a birdie on the ninth.
Diksha too began on the back nine and dropped a shot on the 17th before finding her rhythm with four birdies on the front nine. She had her second bogey of the day on the eighth hole.
Her birdies came on the second, third, fifth and ninth holes. Diksha is the top Indian player on the Order of Merit at 20th spot.
Tvesa carded 1-over 72 while Prashanth carded 3-over 74. Tvesa and Prashanth had total scores of four over and five over respectively.
Anna Huang, 16, led by one stroke after making eight birdies and a bogey in her second round. Her total score now stands at 10-under par.
Opening day leader Alessia Nobilio, Helen Briem and Casandra Alexander are tied for second place at nine-under par. Nobilio carded 3-under 68, Briem 4-under 67 and Alexander 6-under 65.
-PTI
Yuvraj Sandhu only Indian to make cut in Taiwan
Yuvraj Sandhu was the lone Indian to make the cut at the Mercuries Taiwan Masters, carding a second-round 2-over 74 for a total of four over par. He is currently tied 36th.
Scoring was high on the Asian Tour this week, with the cut set at five over par. Sandhu, who started on the front nine, made three bogeys and one birdie before improving on the back nine with two birdies and two bogeys to close the day at two over par.
The other Indians who missed the cut this week were, Viraj Madappa (82-69), Shiv Kapur (76-77), Rahil Gangjee (80-74), S.S.P. Chowrasia (79-75), Ajeetesh Sandhu (79-77) and Rashid Khan (77-82).
Indian American Manav Shah also missed the cut, finishing at six over par after a second-round 4-over 76, one stroke short of qualifying.
Opening day leader Atiruj Winaicharoenchai extended his advantage to two strokes after a second-round 2-under 70, moving to seven under par. His round featured four birdies and a double bogey.
Scott Hend and Suradit Yongcharoenchai are tied for second at five under par, both shooting 4-under 68.
Rattanon Wannasrichan (72-68) is fourth, Jeunghun Wang (72-69) fifth, while five players, including Jazz Janewattananond, share sixth place.
-PTI
HOCKEY
Indian junior women’s hockey team goes down 0-5 against Australia U21 in second tour game
The Indian junior women’s hockey team endured a tough outing as it went down 0-5 to the Australia U21 side in its second match of the tour at the National Hockey Centre, Canberra, on Saturday.
Makayla Jones (10’, 11’, 52’), Sami Love (38’), Migaliya Howell (50’) were the goal scorers for the host.
India, which had suffered a narrow 2-3 loss in its opening match yesterday, was eager to bounce back, but Australia showed its attacking intent right from the start. The host struck twice in quick succession through Makayla Jones, who scored field goals in the 10th and 11th minutes, putting India on the back foot early in the contest.
India will next face the Australian U21 side in its third match of the tour on September 29 at the same venue.
| Photo Credit:
SPECIAL ARRANGEMENT
India will next face the Australian U21 side in its third match of the tour on September 29 at the same venue.
| Photo Credit:
SPECIAL ARRANGEMENT
The Indian defence regrouped in the second quarter and tightened its lines to deny Australia further opportunities before half-time. Goalkeeper and defenders combined well to withstand sustained pressure, while India also tried to push forward with a few attacking forays, though it was unable to convert its chances in the circle.
In the second half, Australia continued to press high and capitalised on its opportunities. Sami Love (38’) extended the lead with a field goal to make it 3-0. India tried to respond through quick counter-attacks, but failed in its attempts.
The fourth quarter saw Australia seal the contest, with Migaliya Howell (50’) finding the back of the net, before Makayla Jones (52’) completed her hat-trick two minutes later to put the result beyond doubt. Despite India’s determined effort to hold its structure and test itself against a physically strong opponent, the host proved too clinical on the day.
With two defeats in its opening matches, India will now be aiming to regroup quickly and focus on improving execution in the upcoming fixtures. The ongoing tour is an important part of its build-up to the FIH Hockey Women’s Junior World Cup 2025, scheduled to be held in Santiago, Chile, this December.
India will next face the Australian U21 side in its third match of the tour on September 29 at the same venue.
– Team Sportstar
Published on Sep 27, 2025
